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You’re about three quarters of the way through the latest AAA action game and you’re tired of shooting the same bad guys over and over again. Suddenly, a third party enters the fray and starts killing your enemies for you. Pretty sweet, huh? But then you realize they also want to kill you. Not so sweet.

This has become a popular trend in gaming (stemming from literature and cinema most likely), and it arises in the same way almost every time. There’s nothing inherently wrong with adding variety to a game in the form of a new enemy type. It is rather curious however that the “three faction mentality” seems to permeate the action genre these days, as if mandated by some unwritten law. Let’s take a look at just how prevalent this phenomenon is.

10. The Flood

In the Halo series, the main antagonists are the alien race known as the Covenant. After killing thousands of Covenant, you eventually run into The Flood, a parasitic lifeform that infects other living beings. These Flood don’t have any allegiances, or a mind of their own for that matter. They are controlled by a sentient being known as the Gravemind, who for some reason is able to communicate with Master Chief and arranges for him and the Flood team up against the Covenant forces in Halo 3. The Flood have the dubious honour of being one of the most hated enemies in gaming, not because of their evilness but because of how fucking annoying they are to combat. You can guess that it’s a godsend when you end up in the same room as them and they’re on your side rather than on your ass.